High-voltage 'Rocky Horror' in Torrington

By Chesley Plemmons, Theater Critic

Published
7:14 pm EDT, Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Remember the ad that suggested "Sometimes you feel like a nut."

That's exactly how I feel each time I attend "The Rocky Horror Show," and, honestly, I don't feel the least bit compromised as a critic joining in with the crazed cult followers of this raunchy entertainment.

What's wrong with yelling obscenities at the characters on stage, or throwing confetti or toilet paper whenever Dr. Scott's name is mentioned? What's impolite about using water guns on your friends to help them imagine the rainstorm that starts things off?

I understand Shakespeare's audiences were quite vocal, and vegetables were often brought to the Globe -- not for snacks.

The Warner Theater in Torrington is presenting "Horror Show" though this weekend, fortuitously Halloween, and it's a first-rate production that would be welcome anytime.

This theater routinely turns out shows that have the clear mark of professionalism on them, but they are for the most part produced and acted by non-Equity performers. Don't let that brand this "Horror Show" as just another community theater endeavor. The sets (by committee) and costumes (by Aurora Montenero) are as flashy as the ones in the last Broadway revival.

An eight-piece on-stage orchestra, under the aegis of E. Matt Gallmeyer, the show's musical director, delivers solid support for the 18 rock numbers sung with gusto by the very game cast.

There are, I suppose, still some people who have delicately avoided "The Rocky Horror Show" for the past 40 years, fearful of not being able to relate. Young audience members may have been exposed to the story, but the Warner's presentation is the real thing -- and a total blast.

Briefly, this is a spoof of the sci-fi horror movies that were in vogue in the 1950s. The stage version, based on the English film "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," was unveiled in the early 1970s and has delighted and unstrung audiences ever since.

A narrator sits in a comfortable easy chair and begins recounting the events of something called "The Denton Affair." On a dark and stormy night (what else?) young lovers Brad (Bret Bisaillon) and Janet (Ashley Roraback) are stranded when their car has a flat tire.

Seeking help in a nearby creepy castle, they encounter Frank N' Furter (Garrett Mitchell) a bisexual creature -- a "sweet transvestite" -- dressed in high heels and web stockings.

Most of the fun in the show comes from its outrageous characters and wild plot twists. There is a Rocky (Steve Valenzuela), a Frankenstein-like creation. He's one of Frank N' Furter's experiments, as is Eddie (Joseph Grieco III), the nephew of the toilet-tissue-introduced Dr. Scott.

Sexual confusion and inter-galaxy exploration are intertwined, with the real identity of Frank N' Furter and the mission of his weird band of revelers not revealed until after he has seduced both Janet and Brad.

That's enough about the plot. You're either hooked or you're not digging it.

The obvious enthusiasm for the show that director Foster Evans Reese has didn't lead him or his cast into sloppy, over-campy performances. Instead, this is a smoothly crafted production that for all its bizarre elements is show business that's crazy like a fox. Pass me a ripe tomato.